Biological inputs in agriculture of the future

One of the main objectives of modern society is to overcome the development model dependent on non-renewable resources, which generates pollution and negative impacts on the climate, well-being and people's health. The search for sustainability, which mobilizes countries, institutions and people across the globe, gives rise to a new economic trend - the bioeconomy - focused on bio-based industries and businesses that respond to the desires of a society that increasingly demands more products and safe, clean and low environmental impact processes.

This movement will have a profound impact on agriculture in the future. We are already seeing an increase in demand for “biological inputs” derived from microorganisms, plant extracts and other natural or organic components, such as natural pesticides for pest control and biological stimulants capable of promoting growth and greater efficiency in the absorption of nutrients by plants, among many other uses. A major appeal of biological inputs is their specificity for the intended target and low impact on non-target organisms, which leads to low risk of resistance and a low environmental impact. 

Brazil, as the country with the greatest biological diversity on the planet, can participate with great advantage in this emerging market. Our biodiversity is an almost unlimited reserve of insects, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa and viruses, in addition to an immense range of natural compounds such as growth regulators, organic acids, pheromones, etc. The biological richness of tropical soils contains microorganisms capable of controlling plant pathogens, promoting root growth, increasing efficiency in the absorption and use of nutrients, degrading soil contaminants, among many other functions of interest.

Before being considered a definitive and immediate solution to all agricultural problems, biological inputs are now important components in the evolution of systemic, integrated and sustainable agriculture. We will still depend, for some time, on conventional solutions for fertilization and protection of our crops, but with technological evolution and the expansion of knowledge about biological systems, the availability of increasingly complete and efficient alternatives will grow, even due to increasing difficulties and costs in the regulatory field, which will give biological inputs broad advantages in the future.